There is a monarchical crisis in Norway

The Crown Princess's son is accused of rape. And his mother is condemned for corresponding with Epstein

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The trial of Marius Borg Højby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, has begun in Norway. Oslo police arrested him on Sunday, February 1st. He is charged with rape, assault causing bodily harm, threats with a knife and breach of a restraining order. Details of the case have not been disclosed. Most likely, we are talking about Høiby's relationship with one of his former partners.

In 2024, police arrested Højby several times on charges of domestic violence, rape, violating a restraining order, and driving without a driver's license. The indictment, which the prosecutor's office prepared a year later, initially included 32 counts, and later six more were added to them.

Several women were identified as victims. All of them remain anonymous, except for one - model and former participant of the reality show “Love Island” Nora Haukland. She dated Høyby in 2022–2023.

Højby remained free pending trial, but after his arrest on Sunday on new charges, the court ordered his detention. At the first court hearing, he stated that he did not plead guilty to rape.

Højby was already tried in 2017. Then he was fined four thousand Norwegian kroner (about 400 euros) for drug possession. During one of his arrests in 2024, a blood test showed that he had used cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana.

Marius Borg Højby was born in 1997. His mother Mette-Marit Højby was working as a waitress at the time. The father, Morten Borg, was a drug dealer who was released from prison shortly before his affair with Mette-Marit and returned to prison shortly after. In 1999, Mette-Marit began dating Crown Prince Haakon, whom she met at a music festival. In 2001 they got married, and Marius became the prince's adopted son. He is not officially a member of the royal family.

Haakon is first in line to inherit the Norwegian throne (his father, King Harald V, is now 88 years old). He is followed by his two children with Mette-Marit: Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. Fourth in line is Princess Märtha Louise, daughter of King Harald and sister of Crown Prince Haakon. In 2024, she married Durek Verret, an American known for his conspiracy theories. He calls himself a shaman.

The arrest of Marius Borg Højby coincided with another big scandal. Among the documents in the case of financier Jeffrey Epstein, published by the US Department of Justice, correspondence between the Crown Princess and Epstein for 2011-2014 was discovered - after he pleaded guilty in the case of involving a minor in prostitution.

The princess called Epstein “very charming,” “kind-hearted” and “a real sweetheart.” She writes that she Googled his name and remarks with a smiley face that “this doesn’t look good,” apparently referring to the sex trafficking case. In another post, Mette-Marit writes that it is best to marry women from Scandinavia. In another, he asks Epstein whether it is appropriate to offer his 15-year-old son (obviously Marius) a picture of two naked women as a screen saver.

Mette-Marit issued an official statement in which she admitted that she made a mistake in communicating with Epstein and added that she was ashamed.

The scandals are unfolding against the backdrop of the Crown Princess's deteriorating health. She suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, a serious disease in which the lungs become scarred and gradually stop functioning. In December 2025, the royal family announced that 52-year-old Mette-Marit would soon need a lung transplant.

The largest Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten published a publication in which it questioned whether Mette-Marit would be able to become queen after these scandals. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said he was awaiting comments from “the Norwegians mentioned in the Epstein files.”

On February 3, the Norwegian Parliament considered a bill to abolish the monarchy and transition to a republic. Of the 169 deputies, 141 voted to preserve the institution of the monarchy as a symbol of national unity. According to a poll commissioned by the Verdens Gang newspaper and published on the eve of the vote, 61% of Norwegians are in favor of maintaining the monarchy. A year ago, according to a similar survey, the institution of the monarchy was supported by 72% of citizens, and in 2017 - 81%.